Keith Alan Mitchell – “The Feud”

It’s hard to try your hand in folk rock without falling into the Neil Young trap. Granted, that isn’t an awful place to be. If you set out to make folk songs with even the slightest grit, chances are that a Neil Young derivative is on your mind anyways. Keith Alan Mitchell’s new album This Clumsy World holds many familiar traits from the folk rock genre’s previous generations. Songs like “The Feud” offer music that’s now formulaic, but also light and enjoyable.

The instruments of “The Feud” are basic but offer subtle diversions from their normal sounds. The distorted guitar strum is chopped up and laid out in a well-measured style over the acoustic guitar. With a standup bass and lyrics about a property dispute, this song brings a rural feel. You could picture Mitchell’s band wearing straw hats and flannel shirts while recording this song (while one of them fetches water from the creek).  Even though Mitchell goes for an archived sound, his sound quality is top-tier. Recorded in San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios, all of the instruments have a clean, smooth mix.

Keith Alan Mitchell is based in San Francisco: a city that’s the complete antithesis of his music. Rather than being a product of his cramped and bustling location, Mitchell gets his influences elsewhere to make something spaced and relaxed. While “The Feud” doesn’t bring anything too new or daring to the table, it’s nice for when you want to take a break from city noise and hear something simple.

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Bio:

Keith Alan Mitchell is a singer/songwriter based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His first album, This Clumsy World, will be released in mid-June. He will be playing shows in the Bay Area and beyond to promote the release, beginning June 20th in San Francisco. After fronting bands in his native Ohio and in California, this is his first solo album.

Influenced by a range of songwriters including David Gray, Paul Westerberg, and Tom Petty, Mitchell values a sincere voice, thoughtful lyrics, and a rock ‘n’ roll groove in his acoustic guitar-driven music. The upcoming release, This Clumsy World, features a variety of seasoned and up-and-coming Bay Area musicians. However, Keith Alan Mitchell usually performs solo, often including a favorite cover song or two among his many originals.

Websites:
Official: www.keithalanmitchell.com
BandCamp: keithalanmitchell.bandcamp.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/keithalanmitchell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kmitchellmusic
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/keithalanmitchell